Miraculously Fluffy
by sariahsue
Summary: This is my contribution to Miraculous Fluff Month. All adorableness, all the time. Featuring such things as Tom x Sabine, Dadrien, and Adrienette curled up in the sunshine, like cats.
1. Cooking, Baking

Sabine had honestly believed she'd been ready. She'd studied French. She read about European culture. She'd even looked at travel guides and maps of Paris. She honestly thought she'd been ready, but her first day on the job proved that she was, in fact, not.

A friend of the family had moved to Paris years ago, was expanding her restaurant business, and needed more help. Sabine had volunteered in excitement, promising she'd be a good worker.

Her first morning already had her doubting herself, and had been overwhelming is so many ways. So many people. So many orders. She understood so little. And she wasn't even interacting with the customers! She hadn't been able to communicate with most of the other kitchen staff. She'd burned three orders so far and had even broken a dish. She was almost ready to pack up and head back to China.

She closed her eyes and took a long, slow breath to calm herself. The first day was always the hardest. She was already halfway through, and a few part-time workers would be coming in soon to help with the lunch rush.

She opened her eyes to find the tallest man she'd ever seen, and she couldn't hide her small gasp of surprise. He was enormous, maybe twice her height. He could have wrapped a single hand completely around her head without a problem.

The young man had jumped back when she gasped, then started speaking in rapid French. She managed to catch the words, "sorry," "new," and "name," and some that she knew she'd studied, though she couldn't remember what they meant. He smiled and waited for her response, but she couldn't figure out how to string the unfamiliar grammar together, so she just smiled at him and turned away, feeling defeated and humiliated. She hadn't even been able to introduce herself. Her new coworker probably thought she was stupid or rude already. She wasn't sure which was worse.

She pulled out a cookie sheet, getting ready to start over on one of the batches she'd burned, but she stopped at a tap on her shoulder.

The young man was back, still smiling at her.

"Sorry," he said slowly. He explained that he hadn't meant to startle her and asked if she was the newest employee. He spoke clearly, making sure to give her time to interpret each sentence before moving on to the next one. "My name is Tom," he said. "What is your name?"

She'd understood almost all of what he'd said, and she smiled for the first time that day. "Sabine. Nicely meet you."

"You too," he said. "Do you want some help?" He was already reaching for a mixing bowl.

"Yes... please. And... thank you." The words were slow coming, but Tom somehow managed not to make her feel like she was taking too long or wasting his time.

By the time the batch had come of of the oven – not burned at all – Sabine was much more relaxed. And she hadn't stopped smiling.

Neither, she noticed, had he.

* * *

 _Author note: Hey, I'm back! And for Miraculous Fluff Month, no less. I'll be doing seven of these little one-shot prompts, in no particular order. They're not going to be connected in any way, other than the fact that they're all going to be nauseatingly fluffy. :D_

 _Would you rather follow me on Tumblr? 'Cuz I'm over there now! (As of a few hours ago.) My author notes here are probably going to get smaller as a result. I'll just ramble on Tumblr instead. Haha. I'll still continue post all my writing here, though. Just search for sariahsue, if you're interested._

 _By the way, this has been my headcanon for how Tom and Sabine met for a while, so I was excited to see this prompt._


	2. I'm here

Adrien was preparing himself for a boring day. His father and Natalie were away on a business trip, and it was the Gorilla's day off. He was stuck at home, with strict instructions that he was to stay home, and no, he was not allowed to have any company over.

He flopped face-first onto his bed, trying to summon the motivation to do something, video games, homework, rock climbing, anything. His phone buzzed. Texting was as good an activity as anything else. It was from Nino, saying he needed something, and it was urgent, and could Adrien please come right now?!

Adrien leapt up off his bed and headed for the door. There were other house staff around the mansion who were supposed to be keeping an eye on him, so he crept down the hallway to the front door, as silently as he could, while texting Nino back and asking what was wrong. Nino didn't answer until Adrien was outside the gate.

"Can't say," the text read. "Just hurry." Adrien picked up his pace.

He knocked on Nino's door and bounced on his toes in anxiety. Mr. Lahiffe answered it.

"I'm here!" Adrien said. "Is everything okay?"

"You just missed him," Nino's father said. "I'm sorry. He went to Marinette's. If you hurry, you can catch up with him." And then he shut the door in Adrien's face.

Adrien didn't dwell on how odd that was. He just dashed across the road. The bakery was far from Nino's place. _I wish he just asked me to meet him there._ There was no sign of Nino anywhere on the street.

He let himself into the bakery and stood in the doorway for a few seconds as the scent of fresh cookies washed over him. "I'm here," he said to Tom who was manning the register today.

"Oh, sorry," said Tom with a smile. "You're looking for Nino, right? He just left with Marinette."

Adrien held in his frustration and instead said, "Oh, thank you. Where were they headed?"

"Alya's. Take this for the road." Tom handed him a cookie and ushered him outside. It was like he couldn't get rid of Adrien fast enough. And what was wrong with Nino? Why didn't he say there was a change of plans? Adrien stood outside the bakery, nibbled on his cookie, and texted him again, asking for more details. There was no answer.

He finished the cookie and thought about his options. He shouldn't be out. Nino seemed to be okay, and if he was with Marinette and Alya, he should have all the help he could need. Adrien should go home before someone missed him. But... what if Nino did still need him? He took off in the direction of Alya's apartment, and met her mother as she was leaving for work.

"I'm here," he said. "Is Nino?"

"Oh, I think he said something about you taking too long."

Adrien crossed his arms in annoyance.

"He decided to head over to your place."

Adrien groaned and started running back to his house. If Nino was going to just invite himself over, he could have said so. Adrien wouldn't have had to spend the last 30 minutes running over the whole city, and he could have talked Nino out of it. He really wasn't supposed to have people over. His father had been very clear on that. The staff would report him.

He quickly punched in the code for the gate and slipped through, sprinting up to the door and bursting through it.

"I'm here! Nino?" The empty atrium echoed back at him. Had the staff already found him and thrown him out? "Marinette? Alya? Hello?"

The kitchen was closest, so he checked there first. The chef would know where Nino had gone. But the kitchen (which felt warm and smelled delicious), was abandoned. Odd. He made his way up to his room and was surprised when he found absolutely no one on the way.

He stopped in the hallway outside is room and checked his phone one last time to find no message from anyone, and then pushed his bedroom door open.

"SURPRISE!"

The room was full of balloons and people with bright blue party hats and even brighter smiles. He stared at them in confusion until Nino came up to him and dragged him over to a large cake.

"My birthday's not for two more weeks," Adrien said.

"And what are the chances of you getting a party on your birthday, dude?" Nino asked him, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "Your dad's been planning this trip for months now, so we had lots of time to set this up."

Alya came over and handed him a piece of cake. "It was her idea," she said, pointing at Marinette, who was halfway across the room. She was apparently close enough to hear the conversation, because she blushed and turned away. "And Chloe organized the whole thing. They actually worked together for you."

"Really?" Adrien asked and took a bite of the cake. It was amazing. The cake and the cooperation.

"Yeah. You should have seen it. It was... kind of weird, actually." She wandered back over to Marinette.

"Not that I'm not really grateful that you did this for me, but we're going to get in trouble. The staff will report-"

Nino interrupted him by nodding to the crowd of people milling around his bedroom. There was the chef, the cleaning staff, and pretty much everyone else who worked in the house, even the Gorilla, who was supposed to have the day off today. They were all eating and talking and smiling.

The chef came over and put a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "No one was ever here," he said.


	3. Post-akuma Comfort

_Author's note: Yeah, this one turned out to be way more angst than fluff. Sorry about that. I mean, only upset people need comforting? :p It has a happy ending though, so there's that._

* * *

The akuma today had been a brutal one. Its power had been to disintegrate, and Ladybug had watched in horror as countless people collapsed around her. She brought them all back, of course, but there was one image she couldn't get out of her head: Cat Noir taking a hit that had been meant for her, his smile turning gray and ashy, his body crumbling into her arms.

He brushed it off after she'd brought him back, saying that it was his job, better him than her, he'd do it again without a second thought.

Seeing him happy and unharmed had helped while they fistbumped and said their goodbyes, but it didn't help her as she tossed and turned in bed that night. It didn't help her through the terrible nightmare that followed. It didn't help her as she jolted out of sleep in a panic, summoned her transformation, and tried to call Cat Noir before she was fully awake. When he didn't answer, the panic rose higher in pitch until she realized that he was probably sleeping and perfectly fine. She looked over at her clock, blinking away the harsh afterimage of her yoyo's bright screen. It was 3:30 in the morning, but for once, she didn't feel like falling back asleep.

Instead, she pushed opened her skylight and crawled out, ignoring the way the eerie shadows seemed to twist and break apart in the corners of her vision. The cold night air prickled her skin, but it wasn't enough to distract her. She needed something more. Maybe if she raced around her usual patrol track as fast as she could?

She took off, but it only took her a few seconds to realize that while it occupied her thoughts, it didn't offer any of the peace that she was looking for, but she kept going anyway. When she finally stopped - shaky, out of breath, and freezing - she was on top of the Arc de Triomphe. It was late enough that only a few cars were out. There was no shouting, no honking of horns, just the gentle hum of a few engines as they circled around her, but it didn't help her relax at all.

She didn't want to stay here but she couldn't think of anywhere else to go, so she flopped down on top of the giant stone archway and stared at the sky. It was a clear night, but the lights were so bright they drowned out the stars. She shivered violently, and a heavy, black cloth dropped out of nowhere onto her head. She flailed her arms until she flung it off and then twisted around to find the one responsible.

"Morning," Cat Noir said. "Plagg said you tried to call me."

"Oh," Ladybug said, hugging the blanket. "Sorry. I was half-asleep. Nothing's wrong." How could he act like everything was fine? He'd died today! She hadn't admitted it before, but the reality of the statement felt like a heavy hit to the chest. It wasn't an almost this time. He _had_ died. She buried her face in the fluffy fabric before he could see the tears that were prickling in the corners of her eyes.

"Nothing's wrong? At all?"

She didn't resist as he pulled the blanket out of her grip and tucked it around her shoulders.

"It works much better this way, Bugaboo. What's wrong?"

"I told you. Nothing." She willed herself to breathe slowly and evenly. The unearned grief made it hard to swallow. He was fine. There really was nothing to worry about. She hadn't lost him.

He sat down next to her, warm and solid and _there, [italics]_ and then said, "Must be really bad if you're lying about it."

She said nothing, trying to keep her face turned away from him.

"You're upset about today," he said. It wasn't a question.

Ladybug reached over and hugged the closest bit of him she could, his arm, and started to cry softly.

"Don't do that again."

"No promises," he said.

"I'm serious! I can't do this without you!"

"Sure you can. Puppeteer?"

"I don't want to."

He couldn't think of a response for this right away, so they sat in silence and watched the cars drive by for a minute or two. She thought about letting go of his arm, but hanging onto him was comforting, like she could keep him from harm. He certainly wasn't complaining. When she finally got her tears under control, she was more exhausted than when she'd first woken up. She let her head fall onto his shoulder, and a few seconds later, she felt his head come to rest on top of hers.

"If something did happen to me," he said, "you could always find another-"

"I don't want another partner," she burst out, letting go and accidentally knocking the blanket off herself. "I want you!"

He looked shocked at her outburst.

"I mean- sorry, that sounds weird." But it also sounded true. When he continued to stare at her, she finally continued, "You know what? I meant what I said." She crumpled up the blanket and handed it back, preparing herself to leave, but he threw it over both of them. This time, she didn't hesitate to rest her head on his shoulder. Cat Noir thought it safe to risk putting an arm around her waist. She didn't pull away.

"Why'd you bring a blanket, anyway?"

"I knew you'd be out here if you were upset, and I know you hate the cold, so..." He shrugged.

Ladybug smiled faintly. "See?" she said. "No other partner would be as thoughtful as you."

He was here. And she knew he'd stay for hours if she asked him to. There was no danger of him disappearing on her. Not tonight. The heartache and fear that had gripped her for the last few hours started to ease, and she relaxed into his side. He was here with her.

The sun rose a few hours later on two teenage superheroes who were curled up together on the Arc de Triomphe. Several photographers caught them leaving together that morning. The press had fun speculating and making theories. Ladybug and Cat Noir neither confirmed nor denied.


	4. Bubblebath

Adrien was already frazzled, and _this_ only made matters worse, though Hugo looked remarkably calm about the whole situation.

It had only been eight days since Hugo had been born. Eight days since Adrien had acquired the title of "daddy." Eight solid days of learning over and over how woefully inadequate he was.

Marinette was upstairs taking a nap. Hugo had kept her up almost the entire night, and she'd stubbornly let Adrien sleep through the whole thing. ("You didn't wake up when he fussed, so I figured you needed the rest.")

She'd only been upstairs for 15 minutes when it happened: Hugo spit up all over himself, soaking his shirt, all the way down to his onsie underneath. Adrien peeled back the sticky layers of clothing while Hugo serenely studied the room around him, not concerned in the slightest.

"How big is your stomach, anyway?" Adrien asked him. "It's everywhere!" He bunched up the clothes and tickled Hugo's belly, only to draw back his fingers immediately. It had soaked all the way through two layers, and Hugo's skin was a slick with a thin film of the... stuff. He was going to need a bath, and Adrien started to panic.

Sabine had been by last week to show Marinette how to bathe a baby, but Adrien hadn't been there. Marinette said she would show him later, but she hadn't gotten the chance yet. He _should_ go get her...

Well, _she_ should have gotten him up last night. This would be payback. (And the _sweetest_ revenge he'd ever dished out.) Really, how hard could it be to give a baby a bath? It wasn't like he could splash around and make a mess yet.

"Okay, Hugo," he said, cradling him in one arm and walking over to the kitchen. "Let's do this."

He placed the bright green baby bather seat in the sink and started the water. He immediately ran into a problem. Soap. How much should he put in? He looked down at the sheen of spit-up on Hugo's chest and figured more was probably better, so he added in several generous squirts of liquid and finished removing Hugo's clothing.

The soap was only the first thing to go wrong that bath. He'd added far too much, and suds piled around the bather chair and up and out the edges of the sink, though Hugo didn't seem to notice them as Adrien laid him down in the seat. But he did notice the water and started to squirm uncomfortably. Was it too hot? Too cold? Did some of the soap get in his eyes? Did all babies just hate water?

Adrien tried to hurry, but Hugo started to cry before the first minute was up. "No," he begged. "Shh. Don't wake your mother." He looked around for a pacifier. He knew there was one by the crib, but he couldn't leave Hugo in the sink alone. He settled for sweet words and funny faces, which did nothing to soothe the cranky baby.

Adrien reached for the plug a minute later and tried to will his anxiety to swirl down the drain with the soapy water. That was done, he told himself, and he hadn't needed help after all. With the water gone, Hugo even stopped fussing. He reached for his son, making sure to support his head and neck, like he'd been told. See? Nothing to worry about.

He scooped and lifted and had a moment of panic when Hugo started to slip in his hands. Adrien yelped and clutched Hugo close to him, staying still for a few seconds to make sure it wouldn't happen again, and to let his heart rate return to normal.

Hugo hadn't minded the sudden movement. He hadn't made a sound. Adrien reached for the towel, only to realize he'd forgotten to grab one, and his son was starting to shiver.

"Why am I so awful at this?" Adrien shouted. And that did make Hugo cry. "Sorry, I'm sorry," Adrien said quickly, "Shh." Water started to seep through his shirt. He needed to dry his baby off. He could feel terrible about his sub-par parenting skills later.

One fluffy towel and new set of clothes later, Hugo was quiet and looking tired. Adrien held him, wondering if he could be trusted to put together a bottle for his child. He wasn't sure. He delayed the decision, rocking from side to side while Hugo yawned in his arms. When he looked down again, the baby was asleep.

 _He trusts me,_ Adrien realized. That was a terrifying thought. He padded through the house and nudged his bedroom door open with his toes, slipping in quietly and laying Hugo down so he wouldn't wake up Marinette.

"Hey," Marinette whispered from behind him. "Thanks." She hadn't moved from her spot on the bed, but her eyes were open and she was smiling at him.

He couldn't smile back. "Why didn't anyone ever tell me that wet babies are slippery?"

Marinette patted the spot next to her. "You gave him a bath?"

He laid down and threw an arm over his face, so she couldn't see how stressed he was. "He fell asleep right after I dried him off. It was scary."

"A sleeping baby scares the great Cat Noir, huh? Those are formidable foes, though personally, I'm more afraid when he's crying and I don't know why." He wasn't going to be cheered up so easily, and she caught onto his mood after a few seconds of silence. "Adrien? You okay?" She scooted closer to him and lifted his arm away from his face.

"He trusts me," he said. "And it's so misplaced. I couldn't give him a simple bath without it turning into a catastrophe."

She hummed, thoughtful. "You missed a perfectly good cat pun," she said, brushing a few strands of hair out of his eyes. He tried and failed to take comfort from the familiar gesture.

"Sorry to disappoint," he said. "I know how much you love them."

Marinette settled next to him, laying her head on his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his chest. "I called my mother nine times yesterday."

"What? Why?"

"Because I don't know what I'm doing either. She says feeling overwhelmed like this is normal. You got him to sleep, though. That's good." She nuzzled closer to him, but didn't say anything else. Soon, Adrien was the only one left awake.

Feeling like this was normal? Even Marinette thought she was a bad parent? But she was so good with him.

Adrien got up slowly, so he wouldn't wake his wife, and went to stand next to the crib. His son trusted him, which meant that, so far, he'd always felt safe in his father's care. He reached down and kissed the baby's forehead and reached for Hugo's tiny fingers, which wrapped tightly around his.

* * *

 _Author's note: Um... It's still August, okay?_


	5. Sunshine

Marinette gathered her papers in trembling fingers and tried to convince herself that her world wasn't spinning apart. How- how was she supposed to deal with all this all at once? Tikki flitted around her head, saying encouraging things like, "Isn't this wonderful?" and "This is so exciting!" and "I'm so happy for both of you!" Marinette just ignored her and checked her phone again. Adrien still hadn't replied, and she was getting nervous. For many, many reasons. She stuffed her papers into her backpack and then checked around her room. She felt like she was forgetting something, but she couldn't tell if she really was or if she was just misinterpreting her foreboding sense of doom again.

She was supposed to go over his house to work on a school project, and she'd even had the courage to ask him if he wanted to come over her house for lunch and video games after they were done. He'd agreed, and she couldn't have been happier.

And then came last night's patrol. Why, oh why had Cat Noir picked last night's patrol? Couldn't he have waited until after the project? Then she could have at least concentrated on her homework. There was no hope of that now.

* * *

" _My Lady?" Cat Noir asked. She turned to him, still out of breath and smiling from having beaten him to the Eiffel Tower yet again. The clouds overhead shifted, bathing his face in soft moonlight. He looked so nervous._

 _"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked._

* * *

"Ooh!" Tikki said. "I've been waiting for this day for so long!" She was dancing in midair, spinning and twirling, and blissfully oblivious to her charge's somber face. She'd been like that ever since they'd gotten back from patrol. Marinette tried to smile for her sake. It wasn't that she was unhappy – she was – she was just... something else too. Nervous? Shocked? Feeling stupid?

"Time to go," she said, holding open her purse for Tikki to dive into.

For once, she was too distracted to even ask if Marinette was forgetting anything or tell her to work hard. "I can't wait for you to meet him!" she squeaked once she was hidden.

The room was in complete disarray, but that wasn't unusual. Cloth was draped over 90% of the available surfaces, her bed was unmade, though she couldn't bring herself to care, and her walls were clear of all the pictures of Adrien in preparation for his arrival. She'd even remembered to change her computer's background. She kind of wished she'd left everything up, now. He needed to know. It was only fair. She swung her backpack onto her shoulders, told Tikki to hush, and went downstairs.

* * *

 _"I'm fine," he said. But he looked away from her when he said it. "I just... have some things I need to tell you."_

 _"What is it?" she asked. Whatever it was must have been serious. He was folding in on himself and looked like he wanted to run._

 _"I'm really sorry," he said. "It was an accident. I swear."_

* * *

She was skirting out the door before her parents could tease her about being up so early. At least the weather was nice today. It was unusually cold for September, but the sun was shining. Still, she wished she'd brought something warmer. Her phone was ice in her hands as she checked it again. Still no message back. Was his phone dead? Had he forgotten? She didn't want to think about this last possibility but... was he not answering on purpose after last night?

They'd lived so close to each other other whole lives. How had they never even met before this? They were so close at school. How had they not figured it out sooner?

* * *

" _What is it?" she asked again. Anxiety was starting to pool in her stomach, but she kept her face clear of everything except mild curiosity. If he'd done something wrong, she was at least going to be mature about it._

 _"I-" he began. "I- I figured out your identity. Iamsosorry."_

 _"You what?!"_

* * *

Marinette was at the gate of the Agreste mansion sooner than she wanted to be, and Adrien still hadn't texted her back. He couldn't still be asleep, could he? They did have a late patrol, but it hadn't been _that_ late. Had he slept poorly? She bounced on her toes for a few minutes before finally ringing the buzzer.

"Oh, yes," Nathalie said when she saw who it was. "Come in." The gate clicked, and Marinette slipped through. A biting gust of wind suggested she hurry across the cobblestone driveway to the front door.

She was about to knock when Nathalie appeared and opened it for her. "He's in his room," she said, before abruptly turning to leave Marinette alone in the cavernous atrium. Her footsteps echoed ominously.

* * *

 _Ladybug took a step backward, eyes trained on her partner's apologetic face._

 _"Here," he said, holding out a hand to her like a peace offering. "Let me make it even." Green light flashed around him, illuminating the steel beams of the Tower and throwing their shadows out behind them._

 _"No!" Ladybug threw her hands over her eyes, but she wasn't fast enough._

* * *

Marinette had only been to the mansion a few times before, but she knew the way to Adrien's room by heart already. Her feet knew the way by heart too, and she suddenly found herself in front of his door. She knocked before she talked herself out of it and into just running back the way she had come. Several seconds passed, but there was no answer.

"I'll check!" Tikki said. And before Marinette could stop her, she had flown through the door and back out again.

"Tikki!" Marinette scolded. "You can't just invite yourself in!"

The kwami just giggled and said, "You can go in. Trust me," before disappearing through the door again.

"I'm not sure that I do," Marinette muttered, but she hesitantly reached for the knob and turned, heart pounding. The door swung in silently. "Hello?" she whispered. "Adrien? Tikki?" When she couldn't see or hear either of them, she slipped into the room, her footsteps quiet on the plush carpet. "Cat Noir's kwami?" She inched farther and farther into the room before stopping to stare at Adrien's bed. There he was, peaceful and fast asleep on top of his pristinely folded covers. And of course, he was curled up in the biggest patch of sunlight he could find. Tikki and Plagg were barely visible nestled in his hair.

Marinette couldn't help but giggle to herself. "You are such a cat," she whispered.

* * *

 _Ladybug peeked through her fingers at the love of her life, head spinning. Her determination to handle this calmly was shattering. She wasn't sure she could deal with any more revelations._

 _Adrien still had his hand outstretched, but when she didn't take it, he slowly let it drop. "I... I have to tell you one more thing."_

 _The fervent "no!" she wanted to yell at him never came. She could only stare at him in muted shock._

 _"I love you, Marinette."_

 _He did? He did?!_

 _The silence stretched out between them, Ladybug still unable to form a response, until Adrien transformed again and awkwardly said good night. She stared at the place that he had been for a long, long time._

* * *

Adrien looked so comfortable, even though he was fully dressed, down to his shoes, and was using his phone as a pillow. Only a small corner of it was visible next to his nose. He must have had an early-morning photoshoot or something.

On tip-toe, Marinette crept forward until she was only a few feet away and looking down at him. He loved her. She trusted him. They'd been through so much together. He cared about her. They were friends on both sides of the masks. The reveal changed none of that.

They had one more thing in common: They'd both gone to bed too late last night and needed a nap. Very slowly, so she wouldn't wake him or the kwamis, Marinette crawled onto the bed and laid down behind him. She cautiously, hesitantly wrapped an arm around him. The sun was warm on her skin, but it also was right in her eyes. She nuzzled her face into his back to block out the light, and immediately stiffened when she felt him move in response.

"Ladybug..." he murmured, groggy. "Wha...?"

Marinette didn't open her eyes, just gripped him tighter, clutching the fabric at his stomach. His hand drifted down to hers, fingers running over her own, testing to see if this was real.

"I love you, too," she whispered, lips brushing against his back.

They didn't get much work done that day.


	6. Determination

_(Author's note: This was written and is set after Sandboy and before Heroes' Day.)_

* * *

Marinette sighed as she stared at their biology homework. Did the differences between a cell wall and a cell membrane really matter? Because she wasn't sure that they did.

"How is your room simultaneously the best and worst place for studying?" Alya asked Adrien an hour into their cram session. She was sprawled out on her stomach on his floor, papers strewn out around her. Nino, Adrien and Marinette were all hunching over their homework and all struggling to maintain focus without success. They'd only gotten about 15 minutes of actual learning in so far. (Though it hadn't been a total waste of time. Alya and Nino had gotten a solid 30 minutes of flirting in already.)

"Lack of supervision," said Nino, half-heartedly flipping through their textbook. "We can study our favorite ways... or not at all."

"I think I need another break," Alya said, using Marinette's shoulder to leverage herself onto her feet.

"You just had one," Adrien said. The way he was rubbing at his eyes hurt his argument, and Alya took it as ammunition.

"We're all tired. I'm going to ask for some more snacks," she said, walking toward the door.

Marinette sat cross-legged with her face in her hands. Not even sugar would be able to pull her out of the despair caused by her homework. She wasn't sure anything could.

"No, I'll go," Adrien said. "Marinette, did you want anything?" He stood and smiled down at her. On second thought, maybe there was _something_ that could make her feel better. Or someone.

"Thought you said you didn't want a break, dude."

"I said we just had one, not that I didn't want another one."

"I knew it!" Alya said.

"Hey, Adrien!" said a new voice from somewhere inside his cavernous closet. It was muffled by the door, but still clear enough. "Hey, I got a new high score!" All four of them stared toward the source of the noise, and Marinette wondered why the voice sounded familiar.

"No, no, no, no," Adrien moaned as he sprinted for the closet.

Before he could reach it, something small popped straight through the closed door, a big smile on its face, green eyes and white teeth gleaming against the black body. "Try to beat that one!"

Adrien stopped dead, staring at the little creature. Marinette's heart stopped even faster. She suddenly knew why that voice had sounded so familiar. Alya and Nino both gasped.

"Oh, oops," Plagg said. "I thought they were gone already." He almost sounded convincing, but the sly smile he shot at Marinette told a different story. If Plagg, Cat Noir's kwami, was here then... She couldn't react to this other than stare mutely from her spot on the floor. And pray that Alya and Nino stayed quiet. She tore her gaze away from Plagg to look at them quickly. Nino looked almost as surprised as she felt. Alya grinned in a way that made Marinette nervous. Adrien was a reaction all his own.

"That's all you say?!" Adrien shouted, hands clutching his hair. "'Oops'? I told you I'd come get you!"

Plagg shrugged.

"Adrien, why do you have a kwami?" Alya sounded on the edge of maniacal laughter.

Plagg looked surprised for only a second, then broke into an even wider grin and started drifting past Adrien, who was nearly tearing his hair out from the stress of being revealed, and toward the three of them.

"Hang on, dudette," Nino said. "How do you even know what a kwami is?"

"Uh, same way you do, turtle boy." She flicked the brim of his cap.

Marinette wrapped her arms around herself. Stupid friends. Three of them were revealed now. She had to keep her secret. For everyone's safety.

"For real?" Nino asked, readjusting his hat with a look of awe spread across his face. It quickly turned to annoyance. "Two of my friends had miraculouses this whole time and I didn't know it?"

Adrien turned to them, the weight of their statements hitting him full force. "Are you two serious?!" Then he moaned. "This is not happening." His hands had left his hair and were now on his knees, holding him up. It looked like that was the only thing keeping him from falling over.

Alya and Nino seemed to be handling the sudden reveal well. While Adrien metaphorically died inside, the two of them were already complimenting how the other looked in a skin-tight suit.

For her part, Marinette could only stare and tell herself that she needed to think, find a solution, fix the problem... but nothing was coming. There was no flash red and black spots to tell her the answer. Plagg, looking pleased with the chaos he'd caused, floated closer and closer until he landed softly on her head.

"We're going to have to tell Ladybug about this," Adrien said. He'd finally collapsed to his knees. "This is terrible. She's going to kill us."

"Is that true, young _lady_?" Plagg asked loudly, drawing the attention of the other three, who stopped to look at her.

Marinette shot a glare to the feather-light weight on her head. Panic or no, she was NOT about to reveal herself. Even if Adrien was... if he was... She stood up to give herself time to respond before finally saying, "How should I know? I'm not a mind reader."

"Oh, so this is the game we're playing?" Plagg said.

"I am not playing anything," Marinette hissed.

"I win by default then."

"Plagg, leave her alone," Adrien said. He'd gotten up and was walking toward her, looking concerned. "Are you okay, Marinette? I know this is probably a huge shock for you." He was approaching her cautiously, like she could explode any second. Really, she thought, that might not be far from the truth. Her heart was pounding and her whole body felt twitchy. They could get through this. She didn't need to make it worse by revealing her identity. It was for Adrien's sake, she told herself. He didn't look like he could handle one more surprise just now.

"Oh, she's fine," Plagg said. "She's a very resilient _lady._ " Even though she couldn't see him where he was, she could practically feel him smirking proudly. She would not let him expose her. The obvious challenge cleared her head a little bit.

"I'm okay," she said with a shaky voice. "Just caught off guard. So you're C- you're Cat-" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

Adrien glared at Plagg, then flicked his eyes back down to her face. "Yeah," he said. "Surprised?"

She nodded vigorously. Plagg had to tug on a few strands of her hair to stay in place.

"This makes Glaciator really hilarious," Plagg said.

Adrien started to blush, though she knew he didn't really get Plagg's full meaning. Cat Noir had told her that- so that means Adrien had- Marinette hadn't put killing any kwamis her to-do list that morning, but she was thinking about adding it now.

"Do you want to sit down?" he asked. He grabbed her arm to keep her steady. When had she started swaying like that? "I mean, I know you just stood up, but you look really pale." Did she really look so bad? The room was feeling too small, and the sun beating down on her was suddenly too hot.

"She's faking," Plagg said.

"Am not."

Alya and Nino stopped flirting in time for them to hear that bit, and Alya narrowed her eyes. "Why wouldn't she be surprised?"

"I am!" If Plagg kept that up, she wouldn't need to say anything. There would be enough puzzle pieces lying around for Alya to decipher the whole picture.

"You know, I think we're going to be friends, Marinette," Plagg said from his perch. "I usually get along with girls like you." He started bouncing up and down, for no other reason – she was sure – than to annoy her.

"If I don't strangle you first. Are you going to get off now?"

"Not until you say it."

"Say what?" Nino asked. All three of them were just staring at her. Could she make up an excuse to just leave? Or would Plagg simply use her absence to tell them her secret? She glanced at the door.

"Ya know," Plagg continued, shifting tactics when he realized his first plan was failing, "Of the four of us, you were the only hold-out in this reveal scenario."

"What are you talking about?" Adrien asked. "I didn't want this!"

Plagg's comment made Marinette pause. "Really?" she asked. Cat Noir had been all for the reveal, she knew. But Plagg and Tikki too? They'd always been so serious about keeping it a secret. At least, Tikki had been that first day. But if they all thought it was okay now... no.

"And there's five of us here," Alya added.

"Yup," Plagg said. "All four of us, and you're the oooonly one. Change your mind yet?"

"No."

"I wonder what Ladybug will think of Cat Noir's secret identity," Plagg said with an air of exaggerated curiosity.

"I'm not planning on telling her!" Adrien said quickly. "She doesn't want to know."

"Adrien?" Alya asked. She suddenly looked nervous, fiddling with the red and black charm on her phone case. "How mad is she going to be? Really?" The mood quickly infected the boys, and they glanced at each other anxiously.

"I don't know," Adrien said. "I don't know her as well as you think I do."

"You're all worrying too much," Plagg said. "This sort of accidental reveal happens all the time."

"You call this an accident?!" Adrien yelled.

"Nothing bad ever happens," Plagg said without acknowledging the interruption.

Nothing? Every? Marinette had her doubts about that, but it made her feel a little bit better. Maybe she could... for Adrien...

"It would't be that bad, right?" Plagg asked, echoing her thoughts and patting her head as condescendingly as he could. He was having entirely too much fun with the situation. No. She couldn't let him win. Unfortunately, there really wasn't any way for her to tell him to shut up without calling attention to his odd behavior. And attention was the last thing she wanted. She glanced over at Alya again.

"I think," she chose her words carefully. Something generic should be safe. What would a stranger guess about her? "I think she'd have to believe you if you all told the same story. You didn't do anything wrong."

The three of them seemed a little comforted by this idea, but Plagg was obviously annoyed by her repeated evasion. "Hey, Adrien, remember that time Ladybug said you were just a _fur_ -end?"

Adrien groaned. Alya took a step backward in surprise and then reached for her phone, starting to rattle off questions about when that had happened, and what exactly did she say, Adrien?

"Thanks for making this so much worse, Plagg."

On top of her head, she felt Plagg flop onto his back and start waving his arms and legs through her hair, like he was trying to make a snow angel. "I think this whole situation is _hair-_ larious."

Marinette considered running into a wall head-first just to squash him. "I'm not listening to them from you," she said, before adding mentally, _Either of you._ She ground her teeth instead.

"Why not? They're _hiss-_ terical!" He finally floated off her head, so she could shoot daggers at him properly. Not that Plagg seemed to care, which made it even more frustrating.

"What has gotten into you?" Adrien asked. He was so stressed that he wasn't even responding to the terrible puns. Maybe she should tell them, make Adrien feel better. Plagg was watching her carefully, and she reminded herself that she couldn't break. It was what Plagg wanted.

"He's not always like this?" Alya asked, glancing between the kwami and her best friend.

"No. He's... happy, I think? That's never happened before."

"You could say I'm _feline_ pretty happy." Plagg raised a paw to her for a high five, but she just stared at him until he lowered it.

Adrien watched the exchange with growing suspicion. "Have you two met before? I feel like I'm missing something."

"It's not going to work, Plagg," Marinette said. They'd only met for a few minutes at a time, but he knew her well enough to annoy her. Unfortunately for him, there was no way she would be annoyed into giving up her secret. She wasn't that immature. Silently repeating that like a mantra didn't help her believe it. Plagg seriously needed to shut up.

"What isn't going to work?" Nino asked.

"No?" Plagg said. "Hmm..." He zoomed right up to her face, so close that she had to look cross-eyed to see him. "I could just say it."

Marinette made a move to slap at him. She was lightning fast, but Plagg was somehow faster, and he howled with laughter as she smacked herself in the face.

"Does the princess not like that idea?" he cackled. "Really, nothing bad's going to happen."

 _Oh, no. The nicknames._ Adrien had given her those! If her face wasn't red from where she'd hit herself, it would certainly be red now.

"Marinette is L-"

"That's it."

Plagg was almost not fast enough to avoid Marinette's swipe at him. Almost. But he spun out of her reach at the last second and ducked behind Adrien. The other three watched on in amazement as she leapt after him and started to chase him around the room, all the while shouting threats.

"You're lucky you're immortal!" She jumped over the coffee table after him. "You're lucky I want to live through the next akuma attack!" Up the climbing wall. "You're lucky I need a partner!" Then bounced off the couch and swiped at him in midair.

This wasn't about the secret anymore. This wasn't even about Adrien. This was about getting that stupid kwami.

Alya was laughing. Adrien was shooting panicked looks at his door and pleading with them to keep it down. Poor Nino just looked confused and mouthed "Partner?"

Plagg caught Marinette by surprise when he stopped dead and then dove straight into her purse, phasing through the fabric. Tikki didn't make a peep when he entered the crowded purse... or even when she'd been bounced all around during the chase.

"You can't go in there!" Adrien yelled at Plagg. "You can't go in a girl's purse! Get out of there!"

"It's a _lady's_ purse," came the muffled reply.

"What difference does that make?!"

"Ooh!" Plagg said. "There's cheese in here!"

"Hey!" Marinette opened the little bag and peered inside. Two sets of glowing eyes stared back at her, the blue set annoyed, the green set determined. "Don't eat that. It's for emergencies."

"Emergency cheese for _what_?" Plagg taunted. "Ooh! Lookee what I found!"

While relieved she didn't have to answer the question, the next words out of his mouth were some of the most mortifying she had ever heard in her life.

"Pictures of Adrien, with little heart doodles all over them. How sweet!"

This... couldn't... be happening. She'd been injured in the last akuma and was currently having a nightmare while lying a hospital bed somewhere. Though she tried to avoid it, she caught Adrien's eye. They both blushed and looked away quickly. Marinette covered her embarrassment by turning the purse upside down and shaking it as hard as she could. Forget the secret. Forget the challenge she'd been so determined to win. Plagg needed to get out. Out bounced her phone, a few cheese sticks, cookies, and everything else, except the kwamis.

"I think I'll just go home with you," Plagg said, as soon as she flipped her purse right-side up again. Feeling desperate, Marinette peered in and found Plagg sitting there, each arm wrapped tightly around a cheese stick. "I like it in here. What are you going to do about it?"

They glared at each other for several seconds unblinking, until Marinette finally sighed. "All right. Fine. You win. Tikki, will you please get him out?"

"Tikki?" Adrien asked. Marinette couldn't meet his eye, just watched as Tikki copied Marinette's sigh, knocked the cheese out of Plagg's paws, and grabbed his tail.

"Nooooo," Plagg yelled as he was dragged out into the light. "There's cheese in there!"

Her friends gasped together when the little red kwami came into view. Alya and Nino were the first to recover, and they started high-fiving and whispering, watching excitedly as Marinette and Adrien stared at each other.

"So..." Marinette said. Her eyes quickly flicked to the kwamis and then back to Adrien's stunned face. "I promise I'm not going to kill you. Your kwami, though." She shot him one more murderous look.

Plagg didn't wither under her baleful glance like she hoped he would. Instead, he floated lazily back toward the closet with Tikki, though he first stopped in front of Adrien and patted him on the cheek affectionately. "You're welcome, kid." And then both kwamis were gone.

Marinette took a steadying breath. The worst was over. He knew, Alya and Nino knew, and the world hadn't imploded yet. They hadn't even attracted an adult's attention. She was ready for anything Adrien could say to her.

"Do you... Did you really doodle hearts all over my pictures?"

Well, ready for anything but that. She started to sweat. "Maaayybbeee..."

"Yes."

"ALYA!"

* * *

 _Author's note: See, I wanted to get this done before NaNoWriMo because I knew this would happen. I've had the first draft of this done for WEEKS and just didn't have the time to edit it during November. Same with the next (and final) update._


	7. Chapter 7

"Marinette," Tikki said, landing on the page and glaring at her. "You said 'five more minutes' four times already. You need to go to bed."

"But this time I really mean it! I've almost figured out this design!" Marinette was sitting at her desk, lights lit all around her room and crumpled sketches on the floor around her seat. She tried to sweep Tikki off the sketchpad she was hunched over, but the kwami simply phased through her hand and refused to be moved. The frown on her face didn't budge either.

"You can sleep on it and figure it out faster in the morning," she said. "It's almost one! It's a school night!"

"Exactly! I won't have time to work on it tomorrow. I'll have classes, and school, and probably an akuma, so I have to-"

A dark streak zipped through her skylight and landed on the paper right in front of her. "Ladybug!" it said. Marinette blinked several times before realizing it wasn't a dream. It was Plagg.

"What's going on?" Tikki asked.

Plagg just stared at Marinette, twisting his tail in his paws. "It's my kid," he said, and Marinette felt her heart leap up to her throat. "He's hurt," Plagg continued. "We're not far. You gotta-"

Marinette was already transforming and running for her trapdoor. "Fill me in as we go."

They were soon flying through the night air, making sure to keep to the shadows. Better no one see them. The last thing they needed was for Hawk Moth to find out that something was wrong.

"It was just some thieves," Plagg said as he sat on her shoulder. "Take a left here."

Ladybug didn't respond, just let the kwami's words wash over her. Why did her throat feel so tight?

"He's bleeding a lot and passed out before he could get help, so I came and got you. Just a little farther here." The cold night air cut through her suit, and she pushed herself faster. He was alone, hurt, and the temperature was dropping. Her partner. She had to go faster.

"The Miraculous Ladybug power will fix him," he said, "but we have to hurry."

"Are you sure?" she asked, almost not latching onto her next target because her hands were shaking so badly. Was she blinking much more often than usual?

"Absolutely," Plagg said as they landed in a narrow alley. He floated away, pointing in the direction that Cat Noir had fallen. He'd picked a good spot to stay hidden. Shadows obscured everything except for the outlines of trash cans and fire escape. But she couldn't see _him_ either.

"I should warn you..." Plagged started cautiously, peering through the alley. "The injury is really bad, but don't panic! And uh, you guys-" He coughed awkwardly. "You know each other as civilians, so don't..." Plagg turned to her and frowned in sympathy. "Oh, kid, he's gonna be okay."

"What?" She reached up to her cheeks and was surprised to find they were wet. She was crying?

"Quick!" Plagg disappeared around a dumpster.

Ladybug's echoing footsteps drowned out the pounding of her heart as she followed Plagg and stopped, horror-struck, at the blood-soaked boy lying at her feet.

Adrien. Adrien was on the ground in his pajamas. Adrien had a smear of red across his forehead. It was Adrien who had collapsed after trying to save someone else.

"Sorry I couldn't warn you," Plagg said. "Can you...?"

Not even taking the time to nod, she called for her Lucky Charm – a tube of toothpaste – and just as quickly threw it back into the air. She was used to seeing the little ladybugs spread out to cover Paris, but this time they circled and swarmed only Adrien. It was only a small relief when they vanished. The blood disappeared, but a deep rooted dread replaced her panic when he didn't wake up.

Plagg cheered and went to sit on Adrien's face, but Ladybug hesitated. Had she been too late? She wasn't sure if she was brave enough to even check. How could she not have realized that Adrien and Cat Noir were the same person?

"You can breathe," Plagg said. "He's fine."

Ladybug still didn't move, just stared, forgetting to blink.

"He's just sleeping! You want him to wake up with civilian you staring at him like that? Let's go."

"S-sorry," Ladybug said, and her earrings gave their first warning beep. Thankfully, they weren't far from the mansion. She wouldn't even have to rush to get him home. "Is he- are you sure-"

"You two don't get enough sleep as it is. He'll be fine. Come on, we're going to be in trouble if I have to be the level-headed one in this duo."

Plagg's jibe finally got Ladybug moving, and she bent over Adrien awkwardly. Up close, it looked like the kwami was right. Adrien was breathing evenly.

She was going to have to carry him, which was blush-inducing, but she was also going to have to carry him while swinging, which was going to be tricky. She ended up slinging him over her shoulder and prayed she wouldn't hurt him further. She wasn't sure where the injury had been. The memory of his blood spattered everywhere made her shiver.

Adrien's room had a window propped open, and Ladybug had just enough time to slip through and tenderly tuck him in before her transformation dissolved, leaving a drained Marinette to drop to her knees next to his bed. Her legs were shaking. Her hands were shaking. She wasn't sure she could have moved if she wanted to, so she just watched Adrien breathe and tried to remember to do the same. Unlike him, her breathing was interrupted by hiccups and sniffles as she slowly calmed down.

"Marinette?" Tikki finally asked.

"Hm?" Two-syllable responses were too much work.

Adrien's fingers twitched, and she drew his hand toward her. He was warm. That was probably a good sign.

"Plagg found some cookies. We're going home as soon as I recharge, okay? You need sleep."

Marinette tried to nod, but when her head dropped down, she didn't pick it back up, and she was left staring at her shaking hands, clasped around his. How could she have let this happen?

She needed a distraction. She needed to be _doing_ something, even if it was just walking around. Pushing herself up, and taking another reassuring look at Adrien, she started to pace.

While it was strange being in Adrien's room – something Gabriel had always forbidden – it was even more bizarre to know she was in Cat Noir's room. Cat Noir had won all those trophies. (Though, the fencing one wasn't a surprise.) Cat Noir could play the piano. And he had that gigantic library up there.

Plagg caught her staring up at it. "He's read almost all of those. Guess he was bored before he started hanging out with me." Cat Noir being well-read and studious seemed ironic somehow.

Marinette looked back over to the bed. Adrien still hadn't moved, and she didn't want to leave him, not when she wasn't sure he was okay. Going home might not even do her any good. She wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep anyway. "You'll watch him closely?" she asked. "You'll come get me if something happens?"

"Psh. Like I'll need to," he said. "You fixed him up fine. Don't be such a worry-wart." The casual tone was making her feel better.

At the end of her third circuit of the room (Marinette was sure Tikki was taking extra time to give her a chance to calm down), she stopped at his bedside again, a little more composed.

There, on the long bedside table, was the valentine she had sent him so long ago. Adrien had mentioned in late February how many valentines he had received. A side effect of being famous. But only one – hers – was on display in his room, propped up prominently against his globe. Did he usually look at it before bed? Was it the first thing he saw every morning? That poem that he'd thrown away, it had been meant for her after all. Her throat tightened again, but it wasn't from fear this time.

She glanced at Adrien, and certain he would stay asleep for at least a few more seconds, she flicked the card open. Of course, her name wasn't there. Well, she could fix that. She could fix that right now.

"Marinette?" Tikki said as she brushed cookie crumbs off her face. "It's time to go."

"Wait just a sec," she said, plucking a pen off Adrien's desk and signing her name.

Oh.

Hmm... He was going to wonder how that got there. Plagg would probably tell him that Ladybug had brought him home, and then he'd see her signature. She really hadn't thought this through. She also couldn't find it in her to care.

"We need to get going," Tikki said, a little more urgently.

Marinette took her time arranging the card on the table, making sure it was propped up and easy for him to see as soon as he sat up. After so many failed attempts, she just wanted him to know how she felt, even though it made her heart pound. What if he changed his mind about her? She tried hard to ignore the nagging worry.

The clouds outside shifted, and the room was bathed in soft moonlight, bright enough to cast soft shadows and illuminate Adrien's hair. He looked peaceful. Cat Noir looked peaceful. That was an image she thought she'd never see.

"Good night," she whispered, and she bent to kiss his forehead. He stirred when she did so, and his eyes fluttered open.

Marinette clapped her hands over his eyes before he could see her face and made him yell with alarm. His arms and legs flailed under his covers.

"It's okay, kid," Plagg said, swooping over. "Go back to sleep."

"Plagg?" Adrien asked. "What-"

"Sorry, Kitty." She used Ladybug's most common nickname for him. She didn't want him to identify her as Marinette just yet. Maybe... maybe she shouldn't have written her name. "It's just me. How are you feeling?"

He reached up and tried to pull her hands away, but she kept them firmly over his face, so he gave up and instead pushed himself up until he was sitting. It didn't look too difficult for him, so she allowed it.

"Ladybug? What happened?" he asked.

"You," she cleared her throat painfully. Her eyes still felt itchy from crying. "You were hurt, so Plagg came and got me." She told him how they'd found him, how she'd fixed him and brought him home. She ended with a very quiet, "I'm glad you're okay." The kwamis stayed silent.

"Wait, are you transformed right now?" he asked, putting his hands up to hers again. He slid his palms against the backs of her hands, feeling her skin, her fingernails, and stopping when he reached her wrist. She let him explore in silence. She didn't need to answer.

"So." He chuckled quietly. "You know who I am. What do you think, My Lady?"

 _I think I'm in love with you._

All of her Marinette-like stutters and jitters flooded back to her. But instead of tripping over her own tongue, she said something stupid. "That's a very nice valentine you have."

It was hard to see in just the dim moonlight, but she thought he was blushing, and she pushed down on his face again to make certain he couldn't see hers.

"There wasn't a name on it." He was definitely blushing. "I'd always pretended it was from you."

She settled down next to him on the bed, letting her knees brush his, keeping her hands firmly over his eyes. Adrien sat still, hands still around her wrists, leaning into her touch slightly.

"You don't have to pretend," she said. "And I finally signed it. I meant to before."

"It was from you?" he asked. "All along?"

"I love you," she said.

Adrien sucked in a sudden breath, and his grip on her wrist tightened. "Do we know each other outside the masks?"

"Yeah," she said. "I signed it with my civilian name." The happiness, the joy spreading across his face gave her the courage she needed to say the next sentence. "I... I'm yours, if you want me."

Adrien jerked so much that her hand slipped from his face, but he kept his eyes closed. His hand moved from her wrist to around her fingers. "If?" he asked. "If?! There's no if!"

"You can't make that decision yet." Marinette pulled away from him, suddenly self-conscious again. "You shouldn't say yes before you know all of me."

"That doesn't matter!" He felt out for her, but she leaned away, just out of reach.

"I'm very different outside the mask. You should have a chance to change your mind before you decide."

His hands stopped their search, slowly lowering back to the bed. "Adrien and Cat Noir are very different. Does that change how you feel about me?"

It did. Two people were merging into one, her two boys that she cared about so much. Marinette hesitated, then said very quietly, "It makes me like you more."

Eyes still closed, he broke in to a wide smile. His hands slid along the blanket until they reached hers again, and Marinette's heart beat a little faster.

"Ahem," Tikki said. Both teens turned to her. "We need to go. You two need your rest."

Marinette sighed. If she stayed any longer, she knew she'd never leave, so she kissed a surprised Adrien on the cheek and stood up. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

He nodded numbly.

"Spots on."

Adrien kept his eyes closed until she leapt through the window.

Instead of heading home immediately, she dropped onto a nearby building and watched as Adrien jumped out of bed (and almost fell over, either not completely recovered from his injury or too excited), scrambled to the valentine, and opened it. He stared at it for several seconds, unmoving, while her anxiety mounted. She finally couldn't stand the anticipation anymore.

Ladybug left before she saw his reaction.

Marinette didn't get much sleep that night, instead waiting for Cat Noir- Adrien- to show up. Knowing him, she'd expected him to come bounding over as soon as he knew where to find her, but there wasn't anything. No balcony visit. No phone call or text message. Not even so much as a cat emoji.

It took her a long time to admit to herself that he wasn't coming. Something had gone wrong. He wasn't coming.

Laying in bed, staring at the skylight, she started playing out doomsday scenarios and how she should react to them. What if Adrien never spoke to her again? What if Adrien was okay with her identity, but Gabriel found out about them and moved to Vienna and forbade them from ever seeing each other again? What if Adrien was so upset that he gave up his miraculous and she was partnerless and Hawk Moth took over the world?!

Each one was more desperate than the last, and Marinette fell asleep with a growing sense of dread that she wasn't able to escape even in dreams. By the time it was time to get up for school, she was emotionally wrung out, and hadn't even seen Adrien yet.

"Tikki?" Marinette threw her school things into her bag, too distracted to tell if she was forgetting anything. "What do you think Adrien's going to say?" she asked for the millionth time.

"He's probably going to ask you out, Marinette. You should stop worrying." Tikki's face was pinched with exhaustion. She'd listened to fretful rambling for most of the night.

"But what if he asks me out and then breaks up with me?! My life will be over!"

Tikki's response was to throw Marinette's cell phone at her. "Maybe you should just talk to _him_ about it then!"

The screen lit up with an incoming text message, and Marinette had a split second of panic. She wasn't ready to talk to Adrien yet! But it was only Alya, asking about homework. Alya. Alya would help her feel better. Marinette zipped up her backpack and headed toward the door.

"Not that I'm not proud of you, but you probably shouldn't have told him like that," Alya said. They were standing in front of the school building. Marinette had skipped breakfast (she didn't have much of an appetite) and had hurried over to tell Alya "exactly" what happened, that she'd confessed to Adrien over text last night, but she hadn't heard anything back from him.

"I know," Marinette moaned. "What do you think he's going to say? If he hasn't said anything yet, it must mean he's mad at me, right?"

"It probably means he's been asleep and too busy getting ready for school to check his phone." That was reasonable. Too bad she knew it wasn't true.

"What if he's not responding because he's trying to figure out how to let me down gently?" In anxiety, she pulled on her pigtails so hard it hurt.

Alya bumped Marinette's shoulder with her own in a reassuring way. "Your imagination is always so negative! What if he likes you back? What if he's been quiet because he's planning how to ask you out?"

"But what if he starts avoiding me?"

"What if he doesn't want to confess that he likes you over text? Like SOME people I know? What if you're perfect for each other?" Alya countered. "What if he's been too scared to ask you out? What if he's liked you this whole time and been wondering if you like him back?"

"What if he hates me now?" The more she listened, the more certain there was no way Alya could be right. She had a ladybug's luck, but there's no way that she could be lucky enough for this situation to actually work out the way she wanted it to. His lack of communication was proof of that. Alya knew Adrien, but she didn't know Cat Noir. He would have said something by now! Cat Noir wouldn't have wasted any time!

"What if he hasn't said anything yet because he's been telling himself that there's no way he could be this lucky?" Alya said, seeming to read Marinette's mind, though there was no way Alya's twisted interpretation of events was true.

"What if you're wrong?" Marinette whispered.

Alya looked at her with pity. Marinette expected her to give her a hug or argue some more or maybe give her some advice on what to do next, but she just patted her arm and started to walk away without even saying goodbye. What had she done that for? Feeling suddenly abandoned, Marinette hugged herself around the middle. It didn't do much for her nerves and hollow anxiety.

Two arms slid around her waist, pulling her snugly against the person they belonged to. She would know that touch anywhere, and her heart picked up speed, though it wasn't from dread this time.

"What if Alya's right?" Adrien said. "Actually, there's no if. I told you there wasn't an if, My Lady."

Marinette leaned into him, her insecurities forgotten. They'd been silly anyway, she vaguely realized. "How are you feeling? All better?" The grip on her tightened.

"I feel great," he said, bending his head to let it rest on her shoulder.

"I meant from last night," she said. She pulled one hand out from under his and let her fingers run through his hair that was tickling her cheek.

"Believe me," he said, a smile in his voice. "This is the best I've ever been. Thank you."


End file.
